Live public elevation layers
LiDAR coverage map: what's available where.
These maps use the same public elevation services Geo-Surface reads in the app: USGS 3DEP in the United States and NRCan HRDEM (with MRDEM fallback) in Canada. For the best field-level check, open the free Viewer and draw the boundary. If LiDAR fetches there, that same coverage is what Geo-Surface Pro reads.
United States
USGS 3DEP elevation index
Geo-Surface streams the best available 3DEP elevation for the boundary you draw, at a resolution you pick. Use this map for orientation, then confirm the exact field in the free Viewer. If the Viewer fetches LiDAR there, Geo-Surface Pro reads that same coverage.
Canada
NRCan HRDEM public elevation
Where HRDEM exists, Geo-Surface uses it for high-resolution terrain; outside HRDEM coverage it automatically falls back to the coarser MRDEM mosaic. Still no coverage? Import your own GeoTIFF, survey points, or shapefile instead. Confirm the exact field in the free Viewer; if LiDAR fetches there, Geo-Surface Pro reads that same coverage.
The free Viewer is the practical coverage test: draw the field, fetch LiDAR, and confirm the terrain renders. Geo-Surface Pro reads that same public coverage, then adds the design tools. For install work, use Geo-Surface for planning and comparison, then verify with RTK when the job goes ahead.
Where the elevation comes from
Two national elevation programs — read automatically, no survey to plan
Geo-Surface reads public LiDAR-derived elevation the moment a boundary is drawn — nothing to download, convert, or open in a GIS. Here is what sits behind the map in Canada and the US, how good it is, and what areas are currently available.
United States
USGS 3DEP
The USGS 3D Elevation Program is the national LiDAR-derived elevation source for the lower 48. Draw a boundary and it pulls the elevation on the spot — the same LiDAR federal agencies plan with, no download, no GIS.
- Best available resolution typically 1 meter, finer in many areas
- Coverage is near-complete across the contiguous US and still growing
- Loads on demand — no download, no separate GIS account
Service: USGS DEP3Elevation
Canada
NRCan HRDEM
Natural Resources Canada publishes the High Resolution DEM (HRDEM) where LiDAR has been flown. Geo-Surface reads that public elevation automatically when coverage exists for the boundary you draw.
- HRDEM down to 1 meter in covered areas
- Outside HRDEM coverage, Geo-Surface automatically falls back to MRDEM so more of Canada still loads
- Loads on demand — no download, no separate GIS account
Source: NRCan HRDEM, with MRDEM fallback
One meter is enough to design surface, tile, and 3D landforming
Geo-Surface lets you pick the resolution per area, up to roughly 1 meter where it is available. At that resolution, public elevation resolves ponding and flow paths, supports a sized tile layout, and supports a first-pass 3D landforming plan on straightforward fields — enough to commit to a design and a number before anyone schedules a survey. It is not an as-built survey, and we never pretend it is.
Surface drainage
Spot ponding, trace flow paths, and map wetness potential across the whole field — then design the fix.
Tile drainage
Lay out mains and laterals, auto-size pipe, and check depth and grade against the same terrain.
3D landforming
Pick your outlets, set a max cut, hit Solve on straightforward, drain-to-edge fields — flat-priced, not per acre.
Where public coverage is thin
No coverage? Bring your own elevation data.
A few fields fall outside high-resolution public coverage — or you already hold better data. Import it and it becomes the surface every tool reads from, same as public LiDAR.
- GeoTIFF DEM from a survey or data provider
- RTK, XYZ, or CSV survey points — Geo-Surface turns them into a design-ready surface
- Point shapefile survey data, or an OptiSurface AGS file
- It drives the same surface, tile, and 3D landforming tools
Coverage questions, answered straight
Does USGS 3DEP cover my area?
Almost certainly — USGS 3DEP coverage is near-complete across the contiguous US and is still growing. The fastest way to know for a specific field: draw the boundary in the free Viewer and watch whether the terrain loads. If it does, Geo-Surface Pro reads that same elevation.
What if there's no LiDAR for my field?
Bring your own elevation and it drives the same tools. Geo-Surface reads a GeoTIFF DEM, RTK/XYZ/CSV survey points, a point shapefile, or an OptiSurface AGS file, and turns it into a design-ready surface — same surface drainage, tile, and 3D landforming tools either way.
How accurate is public LiDAR for drainage design?
Accurate enough to design and quote from — at up to roughly 1 meter resolution it resolves ponding, flow paths, tile grade, and a first-pass landforming plan. It is not an as-built survey. Plan and quote from public elevation; survey and grade with RTK when the job goes ahead.
Most farmland is covered
Confirm the area, then design every field on one flat membership.
Open the live map, draw a boundary on a real field, and watch the terrain render. If it does, that ground is ready — map surface drainage, size a tile layout, and lay out 3D landforming, all in the browser. Geo-Surface Pro covers unlimited fields and acres, with no per-acre fees.
Plan and quote from public elevation. Survey and grade with RTK when the job goes ahead.
Covered fields design on a flat $499/yr membership — unlimited acres, no per-acre fees. See full pricing.
Coverage check · US & Canada
Is the area covered? Public LiDAR spans most of the US and Canada.
In covered farming regions in Canada and the US, the terrain loads the moment a boundary is drawn — so a field can be ready to design in the browser, surface drainage, tile, and 3D landforming alike, the same afternoon. Check current Canada coverage or US coverage; looking costs nothing.
Plan and quote from public elevation. Survey and grade with RTK when the job goes ahead.